Many portable devices include a touchscreen on which symbols are displayed and from which inputs are received for operation of the portable device. A series of screens or windows can displayed on the touchscreen, showing alphanumeric text and symbols and providing menu screens through which the user can control operation of the portable device. User interaction, such as by touching the alphanumeric text and symbols, provides user input and facilitates navigation through the menu screens and selection of the device functions. Under some conditions, it is desirable to ignore user interaction with the touchscreen. For example, when the portable device is placed in a pocket or a purse, physical contact from objects in the pocket or purse may cause inadvertent device operation to occur. In such conditions, the touchscreen may be placed in a lock condition. The user is then required to perform a particular interaction to resume acceptance of device input through the touchscreen.
One example of a portable device such as described above is a device that involves the delivery of fluids. There are many applications in academic, industrial, and medical fields, as well as others, that involve devices that are capable of accurately and controllably delivering fluids, including liquids and gases, that have a beneficial effect when administered in known and controlled quantities. This is particularly true in the medical field where treatments for many patients include the administration of a known amount of a substance at predetermined intervals. The treatment of diabetes involves just such a regimented dosage of medicament such as insulin. In addition, the administration of insulin for a diabetic patient is one of a few medical indications in which the patient routinely administers the medicament to themselves by a subcutaneous modality, such as a hypodermic syringe injection. As such, providing a patient with the means to safely, reliably, and comfortably administer required doses of medication is particularly important in order to facilitate patient compliance and accurate treatment of the condition.
Insulin infusion pumps have been developed for the administration of insulin for those diagnosed with both type I and type II diabetes. Insulin pumps are medical infusion devices used for the administration of insulin in the treatment of diabetes that offer an alternative to multiple daily injections of insulin by an insulin syringe or an insulin pen. They also allow for continuous insulin therapy.
The functions performed by infusion pumps and similar devices make it especially important to avoid inadvertent device operation. For example, infusion pumps may be programmed to initiate delivery of fluids at different times of a day, but such delivery would be annoying or even dangerous if a user happens to be involved in replacing a cartridge or changing a tube at the time of the programmed delivery time. Such load sequences of operation should not be interrupted until completion. Relatively simple display lock protections may not be adequate to protect against programmed device operation when a user is engaging in an activity that should not be interrupted.
Accordingly, there is a need for a portable medical device that safely facilitates user interaction while in a particular mode in which device activation could be problematic.